Luke 11:8-9 5/2/2023*

Luke 11:8-9 “…even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs. “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

Jesus is teaching the logistics of prayer. He is telling us to Pray… and pray boldly and persistently. He is straightforward here because prayer is a difficult discipline. The enemy is committed to keeping you from praying because a life without prayer is a life without power. Prayer is the most effective way we can influence change.  

We stress, and have anxiety over things we cannot control even though scripture is clear that you can’t add even a moment to your life by worrying… But the Bible says prayer moves mountains …So what does prayer look like? Jesus gives us the mechanics in Matthew 6, but here He talks about the emotional attitude needed to be a prayer warrior.  

Jesus invites us to “bother” God until we get an answer.  When my daughter was young, she would tug on her mom and say “mama, mama, mama, mama” until she got her attention…. Jesus proposes we do the same. He encourages us to have an intimacy with God that doesn’t stand on ceremony.

The guy in this verse is banging on a door to wake up his buddy. No formalities, just an understanding that his friend will be there for him. God is there for you… You don’t have to speak formally. You may not be able to speak at all , just come to God…He hears, and understands your broken heart… you are not alone, and His power is transformative. 

Prayer changes things… the answer may not be according to your plan (see the Garden of Gethsemane), but God will respond powerfully.  Keep pursuing the Giver, not the gift… ask, seek, knock… continue banging on the door. God will respond, and if you don’t comprehend the answer, keep praying in faith, because someday you will understand. 

The most important thing you can do today is to make prayer a priority.   Schedule it, block all distractions, and lean into it…. Nothing will impact your life more.

“Prayer is God's backstage pass into a personal audience with Him.”

 - Tony Evans

Esther 3:15 4/25/2023*

“The couriers went out, spurred on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was bewildered.”

A Jew named Mordecai refused to kneel when Haman, a high-ranking Persian official, passed by. This so incensed Haman that he convinced the king to decree destruction for the entire Jewish race. Afterwards the king and Haman sat down to drink together as though the decision was routine. 

Haman has two fatal flaws:  

The first is pride.  Haman influences the king to retaliate for someone disrespecting him. Haman’s lethal mistake occurs because he was obsessed with being offended.  Mordecai refused to honor him, and he just couldn’t get past it. 

We call Pride a mental illness (narcissism) but it’s really a spiritual disease.  It is the original sin and causes the created to suppose they are the Creator. It is a flaw that precedes destruction…. In this case it produced hate, and anger that caused Haman to lose touch with reality. 

Prideful rage brings on a storm that produces actions and words that seem sensible at the time but when the clouds clear, stupidity is all that is left. Even the pagans in Susa were bewildered at this heartless overreaction. 

As men, we must recognize pride to be the blinding, ignorance inducing, emotion that it is.  Any honest evaluation will reveal that self-centeredness has never made you do anything you’re proud of…Yet for some reason, we tolerate it in our lives.

Haman’s second issue is lack of community.  Show me your friends and I will show you your future. It is important to have the right people in your circle who will speak up when you get ready to do something foolish. 

Haman’s friends supported his insanity…even encouraged it.  What Haman needed was a brother to warn him that his pride was getting the best of him. That small pain of correction would have saved Haman from the greater pain of the gallows. 

Don’t recruit cheerleaders as friends – find guys who speak the truth in love. People who would rather benefit you than always be comfortable. Pride can slip in unnoticed, and you need companions who will watch your back. Pick your friends carefully because life is a team sport. 

“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.”
 - King Solomon

Jeremiah 42:6 & Jeremiah 43:2 4/18/2023*

 Jeremiah 42:6
“Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God,” 

Jeremiah 43:2
“You are lying! The Lord our God has not sent you…” 

In the 42nd chapter of Jeremiah, the Israelites asked Jeremiah to inquire of the Lord, committing to obey God no matter what he commands …  But one chapter later, when God’s instructions go against their wishes, all bets were off…and they blamed the messenger. 

Does that sound familiar? … 

Lots of people today follow scripture until it says something they don’t like.  Then they discount that portion of the Bible and live as they choose. This is following yourself, not God.

The church has added to the problem by not clearly calling sin what it is.  We water down God’s commands bending His word to match our lives instead of bending our lives to match His word. 

Years ago, there was a popular bumper sticker that said, “God is my co-pilot”… The problem with that sticker is that that proposal was never on the table.  God never offered a partnership. He is God, and we are to acknowledge that and obey His commands. 

You don’t bargain with God; you surrender to Him.  And when you do, His Holy word must become the definitive guide for your life.  Your opinion of it as favorable, or unfavorable is irrelevant.  

Scripture predicts a time when men will gather teachers around themselves who say only what they want to hear…and that time has arrived. You can find “churches” today that tolerate any, and all sin – twisting or ignoring scripture if they find it offensive. 

But the power of God has preserved scripture for centuries and the truth is plain to any honest reader. Science changes, theories  are modified, concepts are disproven, but the Word of the Lord has endured unchanged for thousands of years. 

The Bible itself claims that “All scripture is God breathed”.  If that is true, then we must follow ALL of it …If that is not true, then why follow any of it?

Either God is powerful enough to provide an inerrant Bible to guide us - or He is not  – So we should either trust God and obey Scripture…or quit talking about it. 

“To forsake the inerrancy of Scripture is to snuff humanity’s only candle of truth… Inerrancy is the lamp to our feet and light to our path.” - Ray Comfort

Philippians 3:9...10 4/11/2023*

 “… found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, … that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”

Victory can only be achieved with a new life. 

I can’t cling to the same old system and win, because there is no victory when I’m controlled by sin. I cannot insert God into my life and continue down the road I am on.  If God is to be added, everything else must be upended. 

I cannot preach about the Spirit, while I pursue the flesh. My old life must end so that Christ can live in me. That’s not just a poetic verse; it’s a requirement for redemption.

That is the issue… the conversation stops right there.  I cannot walk in victory in my own shoes. I must surrender to the Lord and walk in the footsteps of my Savior.

That is the battle we fight daily… we know there is a God – but we are constantly tempted to believe it might be us. Have you settled that question? Are you ready to make Christ your Lord or are you attempting to  just claim Him as Savior?

You cannot live in the power of His resurrection, until you have died to yourself completely.  Either He rules your life - or you do. There is no shared leadership.

You were dead in your sin… but you have been offered the gift of new life … The question is, will you take it? Will you surrender and receive the gift – or continue to fight a losing battle with your own strength?

Do you want to know the power of His resurrection?… Then die to yourself. Do you want to learn to have joy in suffering? … then be conformed to His death and live a resurrected life.

It’s not about just acknowledging God (even demons do that). You must Love Him and place your faith in Him… Then live a new life, with new goals … Abandon the path you have been on and live each day in the power of His resurrection… with lovingly serving Him and others as  your only motivation.

“The Christian’s motto should not be ‘Let go and let God’ but ‘Trust God and get going.’” - J.I. Packer

Galatians 2:20 4/4/2023*

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

If there is a thesis statement for the Christian life, this is it.  It defines life after you accept Christ as your Lord and Savior. 

There are no degrees to the transformation salvation produces… there is no such thing as a “good or bad” Christian.  You are either saved or lost. You are either the same old sinful wretch…or a new creation covered by the blood of Christ which gives you a new past, present, and future. 

Easter is not about eggs, bunnies, or brightly colored clothes.  It is about redemption. It doesn’t improve or remodel your life – It replaces it … your past has been obliterated.  The stain of sin is gone, and you become a different person. 

This is why Jesus can never be just a part of your life – that is why you can’t love God on Sunday morning and ignore Him on Saturday night. Christianity is not an addition to your life – it is an invasion that results in total conquest. There is only room for one King in your life and it will be completely Christ - or not Christ at all.  

Have you been crucified?... Is God your King or just your insurance policy?

This Easter cut through all the fashion, colored eggs, and games and consider the truth. The first Easter morning is the most important occurrence in human history.  Nothing else even comes close… When Jesus came out of that tomb it changed the options you and I have for eternity. But it is an all or none proposition. 

It must be either you or God governing your life – Make it Him. Abandon all the fruitless struggles you have pursued seeking worthless trinkets the world offers and seek the Glory of the One who gave Himself up for your redemption. 

It is not a timid decision – It is a radical about face.  It is dying to yourself and living a life committed to your King.

If Christ is not all to you, He is nothing to you. He will never go into partnership as a part Savior of men.“― Charles H. Spurgeon  

Judges 10:15-16 3/28/2023*

“But the Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now.”  Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the Lord. And he could bear Israel’s misery no longer.”

What an amazing concept that “God could bear Israel’s misery no longer”. God had every right to be disgusted with Israel's’ adulterous betrayal. Who could blame Him if He let them suffer for rejecting Him? Yet their misery moved Him. 

I am astonished at this aspect of God. The amazing grace of a holy God who suffers for the misery I bring upon myself – just because He loves me.  

God loves you too. The things He has done to prove that are mind boggling.  He did them, because it breaks His heart to see you in misery.… His plan for you is peace in the arms of your Father. You were never intended to fight your battles alone.

Aren’t you tired of your rebellion?  Has it ever produced what you wanted it to?  

God’s not some cosmic killjoy looking to punish you… He’s a loving Father patiently waiting to rescue you. He has already been wounded for your transgressions and bruised for your iniquities… your pain is His pain. Stop fighting battles that have already been won.

There’s only one place in scripture that describes the Father running… and that was when His prodigal Son returned … He ran to greet him. He will do the same for you, if you will just turn around. Don’t waste another day resisting the God who loves you. 

Easter means we never have to ask God the question Jesus asked on the cross…” why has thou forsaken me?”... The answer to that question was your name and mine…Christ was forsaken for us… He has already borne the punishment for our wickedness so we will never have to. 

The Crucifixion happened because God loves you and could bear your misery no longer … the resurrection proved Jesus was qualified to pay the debt that separated you from God and you never have to be separated again.

 “We should be astonished at the goodness of God, stunned that He should bother to call us by name, our mouths wide open at His love, bewildered that at this very moment we are standing on holy ground.” ~ Brennan Manning

2 Peter 1:3 3/21/2023*

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.”

This verse is clear about what it takes to live a godly life. The requirement is the “Full Knowledge of him who called us”… There are no self-improvement techniques, no self-empowerment tools… In fact, “self” is not part of the equation.

Full knowledge of Jesus gives us everything we need to live godly lives. Peter uses words like  “All” and  “Everything ” to make the point emphatic - Nothing we need is lacking, and nothing we need comes from us - it is all a gift from God.

What does it look like to live a godly life?

“Godliness” is behavior produced by the constant realization of His abiding Spirit. The recognition of God, and the acknowledgement of His omnipresence produces a godly life.  That may sound oversimplified but understanding that God is near, changes everything.  Godliness means you put every thought, word, and action through that filter and that modifies your life. You don’t act differently SO you will be saved… but because you have BEEN saved you act differently… Your knowledge of Him produces a transformation that is unmistakable. 

The knowledge of Christ opens your eyes to see the world as God created it – instead of as man has attempted to re-create it.  It produces a God centered worldview that guides your path.

If you want godliness – don’t believe the lies that make it complicated as though God has hidden His will.  Get in the Word daily, attain knowledge, and God will change your perspective. 

This letter was written toward the end of Peter’s life. At this point he had traveled with Jesus, walked on water, cut off a soldier’s ear, denied Christ and been restored, witnessed Pentecost…and more. But when the question of what it takes to live a godly life is asked, Peter’s answer is “get to know Jesus”.  

God saved you through His Glory and Goodness, sending His Son to redeem you… Your transformation is all about knowing Him. It not only has nothing to do with self-help – it’s the renunciation of any effort to do so. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

“You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary.”

― Jonathan Edwards

Jeremiah 20:9 3/14/2023*

 “But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name, his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” 

Jeremiah has been beaten and left in the stocks overnight by the Priest. He is angry and depressed that God has given him a message that causes others to attack him… Yet upon his release, he doubles down on the predictions and warns those who would resist God.

Jeremiah doesn’t like being the bearer of unpopular news but admits that he has no choice… The truth is the truth, and it burns like a fire in his heart.
Am I as motivated as Jeremiah to speak the Word of God when it is unpopular?  Does it burn within me? Am I like Paul in 1 Corinthians, “compelled” to preach the gospel?  

Jeremiah and Paul share that trait… and anyone who genuinely embraces the gospel, shares that trait as well.

The power of the gospel is uncontainable. Understanding that I have been freely delivered from eternal punishment should compel me to tell others. The joy of my salvation ought to produce an internal pressure that demands release. Can you really love someone, and not tell them what Jesus did for them at Calvary?

We are told to be wise, but that cannot diminish our boldness for Christ. We should use strategy and insight when sharing truth, but we cannot water it down …  And like Jeremiah we may suffer for it.

Scripture says that when you speak the truth, you may be hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down, but you will not be defeated.  Being a messenger of God requires stamina. Expect the battle and be prepared to endure it.

No matter what we face, the gospel was not given to us to be hoarded and contained. We are commanded to tell others. Boldly preach His name.  It may be unpopular, but it is the cure for the disease that has infected us all.  

It is possible to preach the gospel without loving others …But it is impossible to truly love others and not preach the gospel.

“Only he is fit to preach who cannot avoid preaching, who feels that woe is upon him unless he preach the gospel” - Charles Spurgeon

2 Samuel 6:16 3/7/2023*

“Michal the daughter of Saul looked down through the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she was contemptuous of him in her heart.”

David and his wife Michal had a disagreement about how David should worship God in public. Michal took a condescending tone, that I sometimes hear in myself.  Am I at times contemptuous of those who worship differently than I do? 

Worship must focus on the Lord, not the worshiper. There are “ministers” who teach self-empowerment instead of worship, and those are non-scriptural, false teachers who must be resisted.

The Bible contains clear guidelines for approaching God. But there are areas of worship that the Bible does not specifically address, and it seems today, that we look for reasons to divide instead of reasons to come together. 

Some people raise their hands, and some don’t… some dress differently than others… some say “amen” during the church service, while others sit quietly …  Shouldn’t my default reaction to all of these be to see sincerity?   Shouldn’t I remember that they didn’t come to church seeking my approval, and that God clearly sees their heart…and mine? 

When I see someone who worships more enthusiastically than I do …do I doubt their motive?  Do I delve into my self-perceived spiritual knowledge and judge them?  

As the chapter ends, we learn that Michal’s punishment for her arrogance was that she had no children – she could not reproduce. … Am I in danger of the same punishment? Does my exclusiveness and egotism deter me from loving others and creating disciples? 

If my child were to give me a rudimentary drawing as a gift, and you mocked them for what you perceived as their lack of artistic ability…Your problem would be with me, not my child.  I think God sees my judgement of those who worship differently than I do in much the same way.  

On Sunday morning, I need to concentrate on my own offering…I must keep my own worship pure.  Scripture says,  “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.”…If I worship like that  - It sounds to me like there shouldn’t be much energy left over after church for me to judge my neighbor.  

“When you judge someone, it doesn't define them. It defines you.”
– Anonymous.

Jeremiah 10:5 2/28/2023*

“Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm, nor can they do any good.”

God has no problem speaking bluntly.  In this verse He points out the lunacy of worshipping something that you created.  Cutting down a tree, shaping it, dressing it up and then bowing down and worshiping it is stupidity, and it angers God.

Deuteronomy 7:26 not only says don’t have idols…it says we should “utterly detest” them. Idols are so offensive to God that they are forbidden by the very first commandment.  God views idolatry like we would view our spouses being unfaithful.

But our culture is too advanced to worship idols…right? We could never be duped into serving false powerless gods, right?... I don’t know… look at what you value. Does anything eclipse your devotion to Christ?  Does anything come close?

We should “detest” things that tempt us away from the true God. When I resist false gods is it because I despise them or out of a sense of duty?  Do I “loathe” the gold in their idols and the lust in their lifestyles, or do I begrudgingly abstain?

When I was young, I was enamored by the red glowing rings on our stove.  My mom told me not to touch them or I’d get burned ….so out of obedience, I didn’t…until I did. After that, they were no longer a temptation…I detested them. I saw them for what they were… dangerous.

If God calls something an abomination, I should never tolerate it.  Yet I sometime chase after, depend on, and in some ways worship worthless things… and God says that is hazardous to my relationship with Him. 

Idols aren’t exclusively golden sculptures… they come in the form of money, reputation, comfort,  power… anything that competes with my allegiance to God. Preoccupation with these things is dangerous. I must, acknowledge that God is my King and be solely devoted to Him out of gratitude for my redemption.

Examine your heart this morning… Carefully analyze the list of things you hold as valuable and eliminate anything that detracts from your devotion to Jesus.

“You don't have to go to heathen lands today to find false gods. America is full of them. Whatever you love more than God is your idol.”
- Dwight L. Moody